The admittedly shorter adventure of Resident Evil Requiem and its survival horror leads players to one of two endings based on a single decision made in the game’s final act. The idea of multiple conclusions or alternate paths in Resident Evil is nothing new, but the one existing in this game feels somewhat forced. One ending’s tone goes so far in a certain direction that it almost seems fake, making it questionable why it is even in the game at all.
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Without giving away too many spoilers, the end of Resident Evil Requiem revolves around choosing to release or destroy Elpis, a chemical compound that has several implied purposes. Through the story, you learn that Elpis is a false hope for those who desired it as another viral weapon, encouraging Grace to release it as a way to cure Leon as the “canon” ending of the game. However, you can still choose to destroy Elpis instead, leading to the “bad” ending instead.
Resident Evil Requiem’s “Bad” Ending Is Ridiculously Bleak
Destroying Elpis causes the platform that Grace, Leon, and the villain Zeno are standing on to collapse, along with the rest of the hidden Umbrella facility. In a last ditch effort, Leon manages to land a blow on Zeno with his axe before helping Grace reach a stable platform. Unfortunately, Leon can’t follow, and proceeds to be defeated by Zeno as his infection has long sapped his usual strength. Zeno then kills Leon, before falling with the facility into an explosion while Grace manages to escape.
Despite Grace’s survival through finding friendly soldiers above ground beyond the facility, this ending is devastating for Resident Evil fans who’ve followed Leon Kennedy throughout multiple games. The unceremonious action in which Zeno shoots Leon is brutal, eliminating the fan-favorite character in the same way he has taken down infected zombies in multiple titles. Leon’s final words accepting his fate through Grace’s safety in relation to his guilt regarding Raccoon City are bleak, almost to an incredulous level.
Anyone who’s played through Resident Evil 2 or Resident Evil 4 know how resilient Leon is as a character, so his death in Resident Evil Requiem seems out of place. His final fight with Zeno is almost cruel in its quick failure, with the beating Leon takes almost intentionally trying to punish the player for their choice. Overall, the “bad” ending feels incredibly out of place compared to both the tone of the game and the effort Leon and Grace displayed to try and overcome horrific odds.
Only One Real Outcome Makes The Most Sense For The Game’s Story
To have all of Leon’s segments in Resident Evil Requiem culminate in a rushed, almost punishing death scene for shock value makes the “bad” ending seem like a bleak alternate universe rather than anything canon. In fact, this decision is so abrupt that the menu you unlock after the credits roll on the “bad” ending gives you an option to go back and reverse your choice surrounding Elpis straight away. This shows Capcom’s lack of confidence in the ending anyway, as well as their desire to push the “good” ending as the canon one.
The “good” ending concludes with Grace tricking Zeno with Elpis, which turns out to be an antivirus rather than another biological weapon. Elpis removes Zeno’s powers, while also curing Leon for him to face down Victor in a huge final boss fight. This final confrontation crafts a more appropriate conclusion for the game, instead of a fan-favorite character dying into credits. Furthermore, this ending shows additional conversations between Leon, Grace, and other characters, as well as a teaser for what could be a potential Resident Evil 10 plot in the future.
Capcom’s Guidance To Help You Pick The “Good” Ending Implies There Shouldn’t Be Multiple Endings At All
The fact that a prompt from the “bad” ending allows you to switch to the “good” one instantly shows how much Capcom wants fans to view one ending over the other. Instead of two separate timelines for the story based on player choices, one option is clearly the better outcome from a tonal and narrative perspective. In retrospect, this makes the “bad” ending forgettable, almost like a joke ending rather than a serious finale to Resident Evil Requiem‘s story.
Despite how good this Resident Evil game is, especially through its combat, the decision to still have a “bad” ending feels unnecessary. There is enough context through the game’s cutscenes to infer what the “right” choice is involving Elpis, so players would know that destroying it is the wrong choice. The password to unlock Elpis was the biggest mystery of the final chapter, so having players solve it like a puzzle instead of making a narrative choice may have crafted a better approach.
The game’s success almost masks an ending that feels like a complete waste of time, as it does nothing other than punish the player for not paying attention. Showing Leon die at the hands of Zeno could be incredibly interesting, crafting an outcome that players took as a route of sacrifice with equal weight to the “good” ending. Yet, as Resident Evil Requiem still delivers on what fans want, the “bad” ending ultimately falls flat, with in-game mechanics showing how Capcom doesn’t believe in it any more than an Easter Egg for unearned tragedy.
What do you think of Resident Evil Requiem‘s multiple endings? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
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Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
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